Grain-car door.



A. L. SMOGK.

GRAIN CAR DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3, 1909.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910. 7

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GRAIN-CAR DOOR.

access.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAM L. Simon, a citizen of the United States,residing at Guion, in the county of Parke and State of Indiana, haveinvented certain new and use ful Improvements in Grain-Car Doors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improvement in doors for grain cars or thelike, being more particularly directed to a grain car door constructedto permit the simple and convenient unloading of the car without wasteof material.

The main object of the present invention is the provision of a grain cardoor constructed to include a framework in which the door proper isslidably mounted and which framework is pivotally connected to the framestandards of the door opening, whereby to permit a sliding movement ofthe door proper in the framework to permit escape of the materialbeneath the door, and a subsequent swinging of the door and frameworkinto and out of the door openm T4 further object of the presentinvention is the provision of a grain car door which may be readilyconnected in the door opening of any appropriate type of car withoutchange, thereby facilitating the conversion of any ordinary car into acar for the transportation of grain or similar material.

The invention will be described in the following specification,reference being had particularly to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a broken perspective illustrating the improved grain cardoor, the door being shown in closed position. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection of the same. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the door structureshown in elevated position. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on theline 44 of Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to the accompanying drawings my improved graindoor includes what I term a framework 1, preferably made up of sheetmaterial and comprising side bars 2 and cross or brace bars 3 and 4, thelatter constituting the rear brace bars and the former the front orforward brace bars.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed .Tune 3, 1909.

Patented Aug. 2, 1910.

Serial No. 499,832.

tends a bearing flange 6 and from the forward edge a guide flange 7. Thebearing and guide flanges extend in opposite directions from the centralweb and are each at approximately a right angle to the central web, aswill be plain from Fig. 4 of the drawings. The guide flange iscoextensive in length with the length of the central web, while thebearing plate is of somewhat less length than that of the central web,leaving the upper section of the central web free of the bearing plate,as at 8, whereby topermit a pivotal movement of the framework, as willpresently appear. The side bars 2 are, as previously noted, connected bybrace strips 3 and 4, the former being secured to the respective guideflanges of the side bars while the latter are connected to the bearingflanges of said bars, the connection of each of the brace strips beingon the relatively outer surface of the flanges, as shown in I Fig. Thebrace strips are of a length to space the side bars such a distance thatthe central webs thereof will fit within the door opening, and theforward brace bars 3 are preferably offset or bent outwardly between theguide flanges in order to permit a sliding movement of the door and theconnected parts.

Bearing between the central webs of the side bars is the door proper 9,constructed of any appropriate material, as wood or the like, and of aheight sufficient to prevent the escape of the grain while notpreventing proper ventilation. The door proper bears at its edges and onthe front surface against the guide flanges 7 of the side bar, and itsrear surface adjacent its side edges throughout the full length of thedoor is reduced in thickness to provide guide tongues 10. Guide strips11 are secured to the central web of each side bar in rear of the doorproper, said strips being of a length to provide for guiding the doorthroughout its movement and bearing atits forward edge against the guidetongue 11.

The door 9 is centrally formed in its lower edge with a recess oropening designed to be closed by an auxiliary door 13 having hingedconnection at 14 with the door proper, a securing bolt 15 being arrangedto hold the auxiliary door in closed position when desired. The lowerfront cross bar 3 is provided with fastening members, as hooks 16,which, when the door proper is in lowered or closed position, aredesigned to cooperate with eyes 17 carried by the door proper, to securesaid door against independent movement. The guide flanges 7 of the sidebars are each provided adjacent their upper ends With stops 18 designedto limit the upward movement ofthe door proper, as will be obvious, andsaid door 9 is further provided with eyes 19 with which the hooks 16 areadapted to cooperate when the door is in fully elevated position, thatis against the stops 18. The bearing plate 6 of each side bar isprovided with a flexible connector 20 designed, when the door is turnedupon its pivotal mounting, as will presently appear, to be engaged withhooks 21 carried by the car roof to support the framework in elevatedposition.

In securing the improved door in position the framework is pivotallyconnected at 22 to the uprights or side bars 23 of the door opening, andthe parts of said framework are in such proportions and so arranged thatwhen thus applied the central webs 5 of the side bars of the frameworkbear throughout their lengths against the uprights 23, while the bearingflange 6 of each side bar will, when the framework is in loweredposition, bear squarely against the inner surface of the car siding inrear of said uprights. The side bars are of less transverse dimensionthan the similar dimension of the uprights 23, so that the forward planeof the framework is inwardly beyond or rearward from the plane of theouter surface of the car siding, thereby avoiding obstruction beyond thedoor opening. The sill of the opening may if desired be formed with arecess or socket 24 to receive the lower end of the bolt 15 when thedoor is in closed position, thus locking the auxiliary door and alsoserving to prevent accidental movement of the structure as an entirety.

In use with the door in closed position, when it is desired to unloadthe car, the auxiliary door 13 is released so that the pressure of thegrain from within will open the door to discharge suflicient of thegrain to relieve the main pressure against the door proper. The latteris then elevated and held in elevated position by engagement of thehooks 16 with the eyes 19, and the grain unloaded until the doorway isentirely clear. The framework is then swung on its pivots 22 and securedin elevated position, as previously described, providing access to theinterior of the car for unloading.

The salient feature of the present invention resides in the use of apeculiarly formed framework, and particularly in the side bars thereof.In the construction described the side bars are formed to provide thecentral webs to bear against the standards of the door opening andthereby insure a proper fitting of the door within said open ing, guideflanges integral with the central webs to form guide members for thedoor proper, and bearing flanges integral with the central webs to bearagainst the inner surface of the standards, prevent a forward swingingof the door through the opening, and seal the juncture between the framestructure and the standards.

The construction provides a simple form of door and framework thereforwhich may be conveniently mounted in the door opening through the use oftwo pivot members only, and which when in position provides for asliding movement of the door proper or a swinging movement of the entirestructure relative to the door opening.

W'hile designed mrticularly for use with grain cars it is obvious thatthe door described is as well adapted for use with other structures, andsuch uses are contemplated as within the spirit of the presentinvention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new, is

1. A grain car door including a frame and a door proper slidably mountedtherein, said frame comprising side bars constructed to provide acentral plate, a bearing plate and a guide plate, the guide and bearingplates projecting at right angles from and in opposite directions fromthe respective forward and rear edges of the central plate, the guideplates serving to guide the door in the sliding movement thereof, andthe hearing plates serving to seal the juncture between the centralplates of the side bars and the adjacent faces of the door jambs whenthe frame is in lowered position, whereby to prevent the entrance ofgrain or other material between the central plates and the door j ambs.

2. A grain car door including a frame pivotally mounted in the dooropening, said frame comprising side bars including central plates,bearing plates, and guide plates, guide strips secured to the centralplates in spaced parallel relation to the guide plates,

and a door slidably mounted in the frame, the side edges of the doorbeing reduced in thickness to provide guide tongues arranged formovement between the guide strips and guide plates of the side bars.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAM L. SMOCK. Witnesses:

FRANK M. BRYANT, O. E. l\IADDOX.

